Fragmentation
by sakarrie
Summary: The paladins are taken captive by the Galra and nobody knows what they are going to do or what they want with Pidge. Hurt!Pidge Protective!Paladins and eventually Hurt!Everyone, but there will be comfort too!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! So... This isn't actually any of the ones I mentioned in my last fic, BUT I do have updates on those!

So! I can officially say for sure that I'll be writing a really long angsty, hurt/comforty, hopefully heartwrenching, and all the types of feels fanfic. I'll be divulging more info as I post other fics, as that one will probably be while away, but know it is coming! It will be most focused on Pidge and Lance. (:

As for the super angsty Pidge one, I've been editting that and I think I will post it eventually. That being said, it's super super sad and won't be having a happy ending.

For the Cupid Shuffle one, welp. I haven't worked on it, but I find the mental image of Coran doing the Cupid Shuffle beautiful, so that one will probably be coming as well.

Onto info for this fic! So, as I mentioned in some other stories, I made a discord writing server and this one was for the prompt "separation".

WARNINGS: Not really anything extreme yet. Some angst, but what else would you expect from me? There is however, a sentence about an injection, so, being needle phobic myself, I felt the need to warn you guys. I got your backs, fellow needle haters. (:

* * *

Pidge sat on the ground next to Hunk, drawing comfort from where their arms touched. It had been a day since their capture and, besides to bring a single bottle of water, none of the guards had come in. The paladins sat in silence, having already exhausted the topic of how they were going to get out.

So far, nobody had anything.

Pidge stared at her spot on the ground - the same spot she had been looking at for the last few hours - trying to clear her mind. Nothing that came to her thoughts were ideas she wanted to dwell on.

That being said, not thinking when you're trapped in an alien spaceship and have no idea what they're going to do to you isn't the easiest of tasks. And every second that stretched out without event just made the anticipation of their arrival worse. It was inevitable that they would come at some point. They wouldn't just leave them in here if they planned on killing them. Or at least planned on killing them without getting information first.

"Pidge." A tired voice called out. "Get some sleep. It's not your watch."

Pidge knew Shiro was right, but at the same time, she didn't want to close her eyes. If she took away the visual focus point, she knew her mind would wander and she didn't want to know what pictures her imagination could conjure up.

Shiro sighed, his voice softer. "Pidge..."

"I know." She said, still staring at her spot. Closing her eyes still didn't sound very appealing, but Hunk had started shifting and she didn't want to wake him up with further conversation. They might not have the option to rest much longer.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. As expected, she soon found her mind wandering into undesired places. What are they going to do them? One of the walls acted as a mirror, reflecting back an image of the despondent paladins. Was that going to be used for some strange form of torture? Maybe it would be used to make the room's temperature uncomfortably high. Or perhaps it wasn't even a mirror and would serve as some sort of hallucination-inducing thing, forcing them to watch their worst fears play out.

Shuddering, she fought to control her thoughts, but eventually gave up, instead digging her nails into her thigh. The paladins had been stripped of their helmets and armour while unconcious, leaving them in only their undersuits. She pushed harder into her leg, hoping the pain would provide distraction.

At the sound of footsteps down the hall, Pidge opened her eyes. Shiro was already shaking the other paladins awake.

There were a few clicks and the heavy door swung open, revealing several guards. Only two of them walked in and Pidge knew that their waiting was over. The guards didn't address them, though. Instead, one lifted his arm, a finger extended.

Pointing directly at her.

"They wanted the smallest one." The guard said bluntly. She felt the others bristle around her and suddenly found herself pushed behind the others, Hunk and Lance blocking their way.

But the guards didn't even seem to notice. "Wouldn't it be smarter to test their bonds first? To verify it could apply to all of them?"

The first guard shook his head. "They already have analysed the options. The smallest will show the most results without needing to test higher doses. Don't question orders."

The other guard didn't reply, just nodded averting his eyes. He then turned to the paladins, noticing the blockage. "Move."

She could tell from the stiffness in the other's shoulders that they had no intent of doing so. "Make us." Lance said, and Pidge wanted to smack him. Don't make yourself a target, idiot.

The guard didn't even bat an eye at the challenge, instead motioning for more soldiers to enter, each holding a gun. They aimed their gun at the paladins and the guard walked towards them.

Pidge saw Lance prepare to move and quickly pulled him back. "Fine." She said, hoping it came out as annoyed rather than scared. "I'll come quietly."

She felt the other paladin's horrified stares on her as she stood up. Avoiding their eyes, she tried to empty her face and pushed past Lance and Hunk.

Someone reached out, catching her wrist. "Pidge-" Lance said, a mix of terror, anger, and confusion in his voice.

Pidge pulled herself free, turning to look him in the eye. "I'll be fine." She said evenly. She doubted it was true, but she refused to let Lance see that. Before he could protest more, Pidge gave him a small smile, and walked towards the guard. "What do you want with me?"

He didn't respond, instead taking her wrist and dragging her out the door. Behind her, she could hear the others shouting, but, thankfully, she didn't hear any shots so she figured they were behaving well enough.

Once all of the guards had left the room, they re-closed the heavy door, a loud click resonating in the hall. Her friends now out of danger, Pidge started struggling. It didn't do anything but tighten the grip on her wrists and Pidge quickly lost the energy.

To her surprise, they hardly even walked down the hall before stopping in front of the next door over. One of the soldiers opened it and Pidge was shoved in. One of the walls seemed to be clear and she could see the others through it. Lance was at the door, his mouth moving furiously as his hands pounded against the metal. Unable to hear more than some distant banging, Pidge was only able to imagine the creative things Lance was shouting. The others were against the back wall, Hunk sitting and Keith standing with his arms crossed. Both wore faces of barely suppressed emotions. Shiro had started walking towards Lance and tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. Lance stopped pounding but didn't turn around until Shiro's mouth stopped moving. Spinning quickly to face him, Lance bore an expression of such hatred that Pidge was momentarily taken aback. The fury quickly melted in despair, though, as he accepted Shiro's outstretched arms. He didn't return the hug, but Pidge could have sworn she saw his shoulders start to shake.

Suddenly, she didn't want to watch anymore.

Prying her eyes away, she glanced at the rest of the room. The lack of window in the door made her nervous, but she tried to hide it. Deciding to try her luck again, she asked, "What do you want?"

The grip on her wrists hadn't left like she was expecting, but in retrospect, she wasn't surprised. They'd already waited a day, of course they were going to get right into it.

That thought caused Pidge to stop for a moment. _Quiznak_. They were about to _torture_ her. Fighting to keep calm, her eyes darted around the room. To her relief, it was empty. Maybe they weren't doing it immediately after all.

The momentary hope, however, was immediately crushed as one of the soldiers brought out a syringe. Just like that, all pretenses of confidence were gone and she kicked and squirmed with all her might.

It didn't do any good, though, and she soon felt the needle enter her arm. A scream ripped from her, not at the pain, but at the fact that they were inserting an unknown substance into her bloodstream. Who knew what it would do to her.

Movement caught her eye, and she saw that the paladins had reacted to her scream. Apparently the door to her cell being open was enough for her to be heard. Distracted by the horrified expressions the paladins traded, Pidge didn't even notice that the guards had let go until the door slammed shut.

"Guys?" She asked tentatively, tapping at the clear wall. There was no response as expected, but Pidge still had held onto to a little hope.

Now, forced to watch her friend's terror after her scream, that hope was gone. She sat with her back against the clear wall, forcing herself to look away. Picking a new spot on the ground to stare, she rubbed at her arm where the injection had been. Gosh, Pidge hated anything entering her body without her knowledge. She's always been terrified at the thought of being drugged or having a drink spiked, but who knows what the Galra could have put in there. For all she knows, it's a slow-acting acid that will burn through her from the inside out.

Okay, Pidge _definitely_ didn't want to be thinking about that.

Glancing over her shoulder at the others, Pidge felt her heart tighten. Lance was now huddling against Hunk, his face red and puffy. Hunk didn't look much better and Shiro and Keith seemed to be having a quiet conversation, Keith refusing to look at Shiro.

 _Stop._ Pidge squeezed her eyes shut, tearing her attention away. It was all because of her. If only there was some way to tell them she was okay, but she knew there wasn't one.

Burying her head in her hands, she wished she was the one with the solid wall.

* * *

Whooop! So, that was actually a lot of fun! I really enjoyed getting to experiment with showing emotions through only visuals, so yeah!

Anyway, I hope you liked it. If you want to make some random girl's day, leave a follow, favourite, or review!

Also, FYI I'm participating in some of whumptober, so I'm going to be posting a lot of whump soon. Prepare. (:

Thanks again for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys!

First of all, I just gotta say, the response to this completely blew me away! Y'all are amazing and every favourite, follow, and review is extremely appreciated!

As usual, I've responded to the reviews in DMs.

To SpiritFighter208, since your DMs are disabled, I'll just respond here:  
Haha, me too! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!  
To the Guest:  
Thank you! Don't worry, there's plenty more angst to come!

Alrighty, without further ado, here's the next chapter!

WARNINGS: Some violence, nothing too graphic, but it's there, more needles, and angst

* * *

Pidge woke up on hard ground. Remembering where she was, she bolted upright, eyes darting around frantically. How could she have fallen asleep? They could have done _anything_ to her. The thought send another surge of panic through her and she immediately examined her sleeve. She let out a long breath at the single hole in her sleeve. Either they had amazing aim or they hadn't given her any more injections.

But she still didn't know what the first dose had done. Taking a moment to notice how she felt, she didn't notice anything strange. Maybe it was a slow-acting drug? Or it could have been the reason the fell asleep. Quiznak, what if she hadn't been asleep but she couldn't remember it?

Shuddering at the thought, she put her hand over the hole in her sleeve. She wanted to just _stop thinking._ All it was doing was stressing her out more.

Feeling stir-crazy, she got up and stretched. The position she had - hopefully - been sleeping in probably wouldn't have been recommended by a physical therapist, but she supposed the rest would come in handy anyway. Better to rest now than once things get started. Another thought she didn't want to dwell on.

Looking at the clear wall, she saw her fellow paladins sitting near the back wall. Upon closer inspection, she realised Shiro's mouth was moving. He was taking turns to look at each of them, but Lance wouldn't meet his gaze.

Pidge wished she could hear what they were saying. She'd be less scared if she was in there with them.

Although that probably meant that someone else would be in her place, and she _definitely_ didn't want that.

She continued to stare at the others, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

Keith was the one speaking now, his expression stoic. That was his mission face but, considering their situation, that didn't actually tell Pidge much.

After a moment, everyone's face suddenly turned towards Lance, who stared bitterly at the ground. It took Pidge a tick to realise he must have said something. She briefly wondered if he was mad at them, but Hunk put a hand on his shoulder, his face sympathetic.

Perhaps they were discussing what they thought was going to happen then? She could picture Lance saying the blunt truth everyone was thinking but no one wanted to say. Especially with the way he wasn't looking at any of the others.

She let out a sigh and sat against the opposite wall, using the others as a distraction. They seemed to have slipped into regular conversations. Or as regular as their conversations ever were.

Lance looked like he wasn't in the mood to talk, but Hunk's mouth was still moving. Eventually, Hunk started smiling slightly as he talked and Lance's mouth twitched upwards. He finally looked up at Hunk, a small smile on his face and Pidge thought she made out the words "thank you" from his lips. Shiro smiled at Hunk too.

Pidge couldn't keep herself from a small smile too. She wasn't sure what specifically Lance had been upset about considering how many things it could have been - gosh their lives were screwed up - but leave it to Hunk to be able to cheer up anyone. She just hoped that he was taking care of himself too.

The time passed slowly and Pidge had long since given up trying to figure out what they were saying. Instead, she found herself making up dialogue between them.

'Hunk, we need this chicken out in five minutes but I can't find the seasoning!' She thought, watching Lance's arm wave in the air, emphasising whatever he was saying. His back was now to her, so for all she knew, that could be what he was saying. Pidge let out a weak chuckle at the thought.

Hunk shrugged, his face seeming uncertain. 'Perhaps it's in the other cabinet?' Pidge applauded herself mentally when the sentence lined up with how long his mouth moved.

Shiro walked over, looking slightly on edge. Pidge smiled, and thought. 'Guys? The emo guy is still waiting for his order..." He glanced back at Keith, who was sitting stoically in the corner.

Hunk and Lance glanced at each other. And Pidge couldn't help but laugh at how perfectly it lined up with her subtitles. "What should we do, Chef Hunk?" She said in her best impression of Lance, aloud this time.

Hunk glanced at Keith quickly and Pidge took on a conspiratory voice. "We'll just have to give him it _without_ the seasoning."

Pidge was almost disappointed when the others didn't all dramatically gasp, but she did it anyway, throwing her heart over her chest to emphasise the drama. Hunk looked up at Shiro, his face set. "It's what has to be done."

Keith looked like he was about to talk and Pidge grinned, excited to add in more drama, but then everyone froze and turned to the door. Pidge's smile immediately fell as six guards entered, one holding a knife and five holding guns, already glowing.

The previous amusement completely left Pidge and her gut twisted. What were they going to do to them? Were they going to take another paladin to experiment on too?

Lance looked like he was shouting, the hatred back in his eyes. The guard smiled and Pidge's heart stopped when he glanced in her direction. She could have sworn that he looked directly at her, his grin crooked and filled with malice.

Her breathing got faster. What were they going to _do_?

The guard sneered something at Lance and he jumped to his feet, looking even angrier than before. The guard motioned and one of the other Galra approached Lance threateningly. The other paladins all looked ready to pounce, but each had a gun on them. Lance glared at the guard, saying something with a smirk. Suddenly, a fist connected with his jaw and Pidge found herself rushing to the wall, screaming.

The rest her team all were shouting too, but she hardly noticed, her attention completely on Lance. His face was contorted with pain, but only for a moment. His glare was back in place as the guard started speaking again.

Keith was the one who shouted something next, looking like he was replying to whatever the Galra had just said. Were they questioning them? Pidge clenched her fist, knowing Lance would never say anything.

The guard glanced back in her direction with a grin and Pidge suddenly knew what was coming. She started pounding against the wall, not even knowing what she was screaming.

Desperation filled her as the Galra soldier brought the knife to Lance's leg. She punched the wall as her as she could, throat aching and not even noticing the pain resonating through her wrist. Lance fell and she pounded harder. She has to help him! She has to _do something!_

But she could only watch as the guard pulled the blade back, the blood on the tip making it clear that the cut had been fairly deep. With a final comment, the guard led the others out and Pidge slid to the ground with relief.

The others were immediately at Lance's side, Shiro pushing his hand against the wound. Lance instinctively tried to squirm away, but Keith and Hunk forced him to remain still, everyone's face clouded with guilt.

Suddenly, her own door swung open, catching her by surprise. She thought she could faintly hear Lance's cries of pain before the three Galra walked in and close the door.

Her eyes widened as she recognised the last guard as the one who had just been interrogating Lance. He grinned, the same crooked one from earlier. "Enjoy the show?"

Pidge growled, launching herself at him, but the other Galra intercepted it, grabbing her by the wrists. She let out a scream as they squeezed her injured wrist.

To her surprise, the soldier shifted his grip at this, holding her arm a little higher than before. He examined her wrist almost gently. "It's fractured." He said flatly.

The guard laughed. "I'll take that as a yes then. Hold her still." He brought out another syringe and Pidge fought to get away, kicking and screaming.

It wasn't enough though.

The fight went out of her as the needle entered Pidge's good arm. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch. "What are you doing to me?"

Nobody answered though, simply shoving her to her the ground and leaving.

* * *

Alrighty! That's all for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!

I figured I'd give you a little bit of fun before I plunge you into the pure angst and hurt/comfort of the next couple chapters. (;

So, with Whumptober, I'm probably going to having the chapters to this story a little more spaced out than usual, but I'll also probably be posting a lot of other fics between. Definitely more posting per week then usual.

Anyway, thanks again! Favourites, follows, and reviews are always greatly appreciated! (:


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone!  
Sorry for such the long wait. College applications had taken over my life leading up to the early action deadline of November 1st and because of technical issues, I wasn't able to get everything figured out til yesterday. FUN FACT: Applying to a program that requires a creative supplement practically doubles your work load to apply and makes 3 billion things more stressful. Not recommend. (Although, for real, if any of y'all are looking into colleges for screen acting, hit me up. I could save you YEARS of research.)

My next deadline isn't until November 30th, so hopefully between that and no-school November, I'll have more time to write and be able to update faster. That being said, if I ever do dissapear without explanation like that, you're always welcome to message me and I can explain what's going on and hypothetically how long the wait will be. Regardless of that, you never have to worry about me discontinuing a story, though. Being an avid fanfic reader myself, I definitely know the pain of discontinued fics. With that in mind, I've actually set up a system to make sure that never happens. Before I allow myself to post a new story, I have to already know how it's going to end. That way, even if I get insane writer's block, I always have something to work towards. It also makes the actual writing of the chapters less stressful in my opinion.

Also, have I mentioned how wonderful you guys are? You've really blown my mind with all of your kindness and I hope you know each and every one of you is extremely appreciated! As usual, I've responded to reviews in DM's.

To the guest:  
I'm not sure if you'll see this, but I hope you do because your review made me feel so special! It's super nice to know that people are so engaged in my stories. I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks!

Now, quick note before you read this chapter:  
This chapter is a bit shorter and less plot-y than the others so far. Part of that is because I wanted to get you guys the next chapter as quickly as possible and part was just the placement in the story. Think of it as the calm before the storm, if you will. Anyway, regardless of that, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and know that more hurt/comfort is coming!

WARNINGS:  
Some description of blood  
Basic first aid  
Potentially not great first aid cause I'm not a doctor, but I tried.

* * *

The next time Pidge woke she found a cast on her wrist. The knowledge that they had done something to her while unconscious made her skin crawl. There was no doubt now that the sleep was unnatural. In addition to already being a light sleeper, she was certain she would have awakened when they started moving her injured wrist.

Speaking of which, why would they bother wrapping a fractured wrist? The guards clearly had no qualms harming them and the injury was by no means serious.

She glanced behind her to see if they had wrapped Lance's injury, but all thought was lost at what she saw. Lance's face was beaded with sweat as Shiro pushed his human hand against the wound. Shiro's face was full of guilt and sorrow, his mouth moving in what Pidge was guessing were apologies. Hunk and Keith stood nearby, working to tear a strip of Hunk's sleeve off. Both kept shooting worried glances at Lance.

But none of that was what horrified Pidge. No, what horrified her was the blood. While logically she knew that it wasn't a dangerous amount - not yet, at least - she wasn't prepared for the blood splattered on the ground and oozing between Shiro's fingers. Lance's blood. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it no matter how badly she wanted to.

It was becoming real to her. Of course it was terrifying before, but this. This showed where it was going. How bad it could get. Soon all of her friends' blood would be on the ground and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was pulled out of the terrible idea by the hitching of her breath. She hadn't noticed how fast her breath had gotten and it took all her will not to panic. Heart pounding in her ears, Pidge knew she needed to calm down. Remembering an exercise Matt used to guide her through, Pidge took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then let it out slowly.

Panicking would only make things worse. No, she had push her emotional reactions down and think about this logically.

First things first. They clearly intended on her to be able to see the other paladins. Was that part of a plan or was it just some sadistic pleasure for them? Try to prove how helpless she currently was?

Or perhaps it had something to do with the injections they have given her. A slight nausea came over her at remembering the unknown substance flowing in her veins, but she pushed that away too.

The most likely explanation for the injections would probably be experimentation. Letting out another slow breath, she tried to look at the positive side. The fact that she hadn't started feeling strange yet was a good sign and maybe if they didn't notice the any impact, they would give up.

Yeah, sure. Or they'd give her stronger injections... or try it on one of the others.

Okay, so that speculation wasn't helping. Pidge just have to accept she didn't have that answer yet and not dwell on it.

What else was there to figure out... Why was she the only one taken? They said something about doses and bonds but she wasn't quite sure why they wouldn't just test it on everyone. Unless if they were short on supplies? That could explain the lowest dose thing.

Motion caught her eye and she turned to see the door to the other cell open. Shiro, Hunk, and Keith all jumped to their feet, ready to defend. Pidge felt herself doing the same, but something stopped her from getting closer to the clear wall. Looking down, she realised her feet had been chained to the wall. How had she not noticed that? Wait, she wasn't shackled last time she woke up...

Shaking her head, Pidge turned back to the others. Did could analyse the chains later.

The guards all entered, their guns pointed at each of the paladins, even Lance. Pidge felt her muscles tense, wanting to get closer, to be able to make a difference, but forced herself to stand at the end of the length of the chain.

To her surprise, though, the last guard didn't come in with a weapon. No, he had two bowls and four liquid packs. Were they dropping off food? She supposed if they were going to keep torturing them, they would have to feed them too. As morbid as the thought was, Pidge was relieved. Lance's body would need nutrition to fight off infection.

The guards left soon after and Pidge immediately turned back to Lance. He definitely wasn't looking great, but the temporary wrap seemed to be stopping the bleeding well enough.

Steps came to her door and she couldn't help the slight flinch as it swung open. Only one guard and the Galra bringing the food and water came in. Pidge huffed. She supposed there wasn't really much she could do chained like this anyway.

To her surprise, they brought two water pouches with them and the bowl was full to the brim. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the guard. "Why don't they get these portions?" She demanded, gesturing towards the clear wall, where Hunk was using some of his water to wet another strip of his shirt and holding it against Lance's sweaty forehead.

The Galra smirked slightly, walking over and squatting in front of her like she was a child. It took everything she had to not spit in his face.

"You're special." He said with a condescending smile.

That was it. She couldn't resist and before she knew it, she had spat directly at the guard. The guard quickly leapt to his feet, raising a hand to hit her. "Why you little-"

"Tarmok." The other guard said forcefully, grabbing his arm before he made contact. "Remember your orders." The guards turned to face each other and Pidge couldn't tell if they were having a staring contest or a battle of wills. She supposed it could be both. Eventually, though, the guard who she had spat on broke the eye contact, instead sending a glare at Pidge. He glanced down at the food and kicked it closer to her with a smirk, quickly turning to follow the other guard out of the cell.

Realising that it was her last chance to get the others more food, Pidge screamed the first thing that came to mind. "I won't eat it!" She cried desperately. The others needed more and it was obvious they were using her for something. She lowered her voice, trying to appear calm. The guards turned back to her, any amusement gone and Pidge let her face take on a smirk of her own. "Not unless you give the others this amount per person." When the guards hesitated, she added "And don't think you can give them any less without me noticing. I'll be watching." The last sentence was sneered. It felt good to use their sadistic plan against them.

The guard stood silent for a moment before turning and leaving without another word. While Pidge hoped he was getting the others more food, the look on his face made her think otherwise. Fine. Then she'd just prove their bluff. They'd have to accept her terms eventually if they were going to experiment further on her.

Actually, the more Pidge thought about that, the more she realised what a trump card she had. They needed her. Even being the one in chains, she was the one with power. And as long as she used it carefully, she may be able to help the others after all.

Setting her jaw, she glared at the offending food on the ground and sat back against the wall.

* * *

Alright! That's it for this chapter! I hope to get the next one out much faster. Things really start to escallate soon, so be on a lookout for that! In the meantime, be sure to review, fave, and follow if you like what you've read. Thank you all so much!


	4. Sneak Peek Post

Heyo everyone!  
Before y'all get confused as to why this chapter is so short, this isn't the next chapter. I'm having a hard time picking who should be my next victim and I decided as a thank you for all of the support (you guys are AMAZING), I'll let you guys pick! The poll is on my profile page but I'm only leaving it open til tomorrow so I can get going on the next chapter!

That being said, I feel bad if you guys came expecting a new chapter so here's a tiny little teaser! I'm interested to see what you guys think!

Cyan Shock  
Black Void  
Red Blaze  
Green Flicker  
Blue Solace

I apologize if that doesn't make sense or if it's too obvious. I'm not that great at foreshadowing, haha! I'll explain what they mean after, though. (:

Anyway, please vote! I'll be replacing this "chapter" with the real one once it's written!

Y'all are fantastic and very appreciated! Thanks for everything!

Never forget the difference you make just by being in this world!

Love, Sakarrie (:


	5. Chapter 4

Hey guys!  
Have I mentioned how amazing you guys are? Cause holy flip you guys are so incredibly awesome! Over 50 alerts and over 25 reviews and faves. Honestly, I can't tell you how special it makes me feel to check my email and see a notification from you guys amidst all the nasty college spam. It's so great to see that other people are actually enjoying my random obsession with these characters. Seriously makes my day. Y'all better realise how fantabulous are, but just in case, I'm gonna keep shouting it at you. (:

Reviews have been replied to through DMs!

So, for those of you who read the pre-chapter thing, the poll is now closed and Keith won! So prepare cause your boy is gonna sufferrrr.

I need to stop torturing my children...

Here's the next chapter!

WARNINGS:  
Electrocution  
Fever  
Small Injuries  
Needles  
I may mention blood? I don't remember. It'd just be in passing if I did.

* * *

Pidge sat against the wall, waiting for the guards to bring the others more food, but nobody came. Instead, she watched as her family tried to make Lance as comfortable as possible. He currently was sleeping, which Pidge figured was good. No reason for him to be awake and feeling the pain when there's nothing they can do about it. Besides, rest would help his body heal, or at least begin the process.

Seeing Lance looking so pale sent a surge of fury through her. He hadn't attacked or anything. Knowing him, he probably made a snarky remark or something, but definitely nothing to warrant this torture. Even in unconsciousness, Pidge could see beads of sweat on Lance's forehead. He was getting worse.

And suddenly it hit her. They had stabbed Lance as a sort of precaution. By injuring his leg, they made it impossible for him to walk, thus impeding any escape attempts. Sure, someone could carry him, but it would definitely slow them down.

She wanted to punch something. Preferably the guard that did that to him.

A new idea came to Pidge's mind. Was that why they had separated her from the others? Was it another barrier in their potential escape? Surely if they could torture Lance without the others being able to do anything, they would be able to give her an injection without difficulty.

But then why let her see the others? Why wrap her injured wrist?

Pidge groaned. This was getting her nowhere. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

A sudden wave of emotion rolled over Pidge. Covering her face, she allowed herself a moment of panic before swallowing it down. She had to stay alert. Otherwise, who knows what could happen?

After getting control of herself, she slowly pried her hands away from her face and her gaze found the food that had been left for her. She couldn't help it as her stomach growled and she quickly looked away, refusing to even consider eating. Not until her friends did.

Speaking of which, the others were now sitting in a circle, their eyes closed. Pidge couldn't quite tell if Lance was awake or not. He was leaning against the wall and his hand twitched occasionally, but that could also just be from a fever-induced fitful sleep.

The other paladins seemed to be concentrating, their faces almost peaceful.

They were trying to connect with their lions! Pidge could have smacked herself. Why hadn't she tried that yet? She had a billion-ton, technologically advanced, war robot and Pidge hadn't even tried to contact her! In her defense, she had been rather busy, but she still felt like an idiot.

Mirroring the other paladins positions, Pidge closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Suddenly, she found herself grateful for Coran's mental training exercises. Before, she never could calm her racing thoughts.

It was still difficult, however and Pidge constantly had to push away stray thoughts and images that fought to interfere. Finally though, the distractions faded away and Pidge prepared herself for the warmth and comfort that always flowed through her connect with Green.

But there was nothing there.

Pidge frowned, forcing herself to concentrate harder, but there was nothing. The place she always could feel Green's presence was empty.

The discovery sent another wave of panic through her and her eyes bolted open. Why couldn't she feel Green?

Quickly looking at the others, Pidge felt a little of the anxiety fade away. While they didn't look nearly as alarmed, they did look frustrated. They probably were having trouble too.

Pidge considered trying again like the others seemed to be doing, but it felt useless. There was nothing there.

Glancing around the room, Pidge noticed that the edges of the ceiling were glowing a bit. At first she had passed it off as a strange alien lighting design, but it seemed to be a darker shade than the other cell.

Pidge rubbed her temple. She was seriously overthinking this. The facts were that they obviously couldn't contact the lions, probably from some type of interference the cells were designed with. It could be the lights, but honestly, there was nothing Pidge could do about it if it was, so she decided it really wasn't worth dwelling on.

Although it was unsettling that there was no sense of Green at all. Usually she could at least feel her bond if she looked for it, even when it was suppressed by something.

She didn't have time to consider that further though, as, in that moment, the door to the other cell swung open. It clearly had startled the paladins and they quickly prepared to fight if necessary.

The guards that entered were not carrying food.

They were carrying guns. But that wasn't what worried her. So far, the guns had only been used to keep the paladins in check. No, what worried her was the headset the last Galra held.

What were they going to do to them? Were they going to try to extract information directly from the paladins' minds? The thought of them doing something on a psychological level was terrifying. At least they knew the cryopods could heal physical wounds.

Pidge held her breath in anticipation. As much as she hated it, she knew all she could do was watch.

Once each paladin had a gun on them, the guard with the headset walked forward. All of the paladins' eyes were on the device, their expressions a variety of suspicion and fear. Keith seemed to shout something, but the guard just smiled back, walking forward and motioning to the guard that had his gun on Keith.

The guard quickly stowed the gun in his belt, pulling Keith's arms back in a single-handed grip. The other hand fisted in his hair, holding his head still.

All of the paladins' mouths were moving now, including Lance. He seemed slightly out of it, but the protectiveness in his expression was as clear as day.

Unfortunately, none of that did anything to stop the guard from forcing the helmet onto Keith's head.

Everyone stopped protesting, seeming to be holding their breath and Pidge found herself doing the same.

Nothing happened.

She watched confusion flicker across the paladins' faces, but the guard soon started talking. He raised his hand, revealing a remote-like device in his hands. She couldn't make out the details on it but she could guess what it was for.

As if in demonstration, the guard flicked the switch up a notch.

The results were immediate. A blue light traveled through the helmet and Keith began to spasm, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open in what she knew was a cry of pain.

They were electrocuting him.

The guard glanced in her direction and she realised he had specifically picked Keith because he was facing her direction. They wanted her to see the pain they were causing.

They wanted her to see the pain she was causing. 

Because Pidge had no doubt that they were doing this as some sort of punishment for her not eating. She had been trying to help her friends, but all she had done was make it worse. They hadn't even questioned them or anything before activating the helmet.

At least they had stopped for now. Pidge could see her fury and worry reflected in the other paladins. She wondered if the guards realised how dead they'd be if they didn't have their guns. Probably, seeing as they hadn't entered without them yet.

When she turned her attention back to the main guard, Pidge noticed his mouth was moving. He was waving around the remote in grand gestures, a twisted grin on his face. She didn't miss it when he glanced at her cell again.

She wished he could see the glare she was sending him, but since he hadn't looked directly at her, she assumed he couldn't. He turned back to the paladins, face more serious now as he took gestured to Keith and back at the remote.

Pidge couldn't tell what he had said, but from the way the other paladins' faces went pale, she could assume it was a threat. And by Keith's increased struggling, she could assume it was a bad one. For all of them.

The guard holding Keith's hair gave it a yank, cutting off whatever he was saying.

Pidge bit her lip in frustration. The guard was speaking again, holding his finger over the switch.

There was a moment where nobody's mouth moved. Shiro, Keith, and Lance were glaring at the guard and Hunk was watching Keith, eyebrows knit in concern and something else... guilt? Pidge wasn't sure.

The guard was waiting expectantly so she supposed she had been wrong. They were being questioned after all. And watching the angry but determined looks on the team's faces, she had an idea of what was going to happen next.

Pidge hated being right almost as much as she hated watching Keith writhe in pain. The guard had made a show of flicking the switch to the second level and Shiro threw his body forward, his mouth open in a yell, but it only led to the gun being pushed further into his face, the end glowing slightly.

Fear suddenly gripped her, and before she knew it, she was on her feet, anxiously waiting for what would happen next.

Thankfully, Keith's writhing stopped and the gun ceased it's glow. Before she could let out a sigh of relief, though the gun was being pushed against his head. Pidge didn't need to hear the words to know what the guard was saying.

Shiro just glared up at the Galra and Pidge could only hope that he wouldn't try anything. She was desperate to help Keith too but she didn't want Shiro getting himself killed in the process.

Speaking of Keith, he hadn't opened his eyes. He clearly was still conscious, but she could see slight spasms going through him still. With her terror escalating even higher, she realised he couldn't take much more of this without doing permanent damage.

Unfortunately, the guard seemed to realise that too and the gleam in his eye sent shivers down her spine.

He didn't care. 

Not in the sense that he didn't care about Keith's pain. That was obvious enough. No, what had stopped Pidge's heart was a different realisation.

He didn't care if Keith died.

The revelation sent Pidge's mind reeling. They had clearly cared if Pidge lived and, while she understood that she was important in their experiment, she had always assumed the others still had some sort of immunity. Surely the commanders had made it clear that they weren't to be killed?

But she saw no hesitation in the guard's eyes as he flicked the switch to the first level. His mouth kept moving, regardless of Keith's screams. When none of the paladins opened their mouths, he flicked it to the second notch. Keith's back arched in pain, instinctually trying to get away, but it was useless. Pidge found herself aching to get closer. To bang on the walls. To do something. But with her feet chained to the wall, she couldn't even do that.

The main guard spoke again, this time for only a couple ticks, but while the paladins' eyes were pleading and desperate, none of them opened their mouths to answer. After it became clear that they weren't going to say anything, the guard just shrugged his shoulders.

And Pidge saw it. Pidge saw the exact moment that the guard decided to push the electricity to the final notch. The notch that would be lethal. 

"NO!" Pidge screamed, racing forward, desperation overtaking logic. This couldn't happen. She had to do something!

But in her attempt to reach Keith, she had completely forgotten about the chains on her ankles. It stopped her feet, bring her head racing to the ground with a loud crack. Mind still on Keith, she ignored the pounding in her ankle and head. She looked up, terrified of what she'd see but it wasn't what she was expecting.

Keith had stopped spasming and the guards were running out of the room, not even bothering to grab the headset.

A wave of confusion waved over her, but she couldn't get her brain to focus on figuring out what happened. Now that she wasn't terrified for Keith's life, she was acutely aware of her head screaming and her vision swimming.

She allowed herself to collapse to the ground, adrenaline leaving as quickly as it came. The pain was enveloping her, and she reached out to the only comfort she could. A dim flash of green entered her mind and she finally felt safe to rest.

The last thing Pidge saw was the guard from the other cell entering in panic, syringe in hand.

She was unconscious before she could even feel the needle.

* * *

Whoooooop stuff is getting intense!

I'm really excited to see what you guys think. I have everything planned out from here on so we're getting closer to the endgame. Assuming I end the chapters when I intend to, there will be three more chapters and an epilogue. (:

I also was wondering if anyone was interested in seeing some of the plot from the paladin's point of view? It's been an idea I've been playing with so I'd love to get your guys' input!

Anyway, thank you all for reading! If you want to be a fantastic, glowing, exuburent unicorn, please leave a review, fave, or alert!

JK you're all fantastic, glowing, exuburent unicorns just for reading, but if you do have the time, I love feedback!

Til next time you wonderful unicorns!

-Sakarrie :)


	6. Chapter 5

Hey everyone!

I know that it's been forever and I'm super sorry, but I've officially gotten in all my college applications (hopefully)! I'm really hoping to get into Studio School's Screen Acting program down in LA so please keep your fingers crossed for me! They said they should be letting me know around Christmas-New Year's. AHHHHHHHHHHH.

Anyway, I've also been sick so that's partly why this is so late too. I've literally gone through two tissue boxes, two toilet paper roles, and tons of the little packages all within the last few days, so yeah. My brain wasn't really in a place to write.

That being said, I am still sorry for the long wait! I'd like to say it won't happen again, but I can't make promises. Either way though, I will never abandon a story. You can count on that!

Also, my Voltron Writing Discord is doing a Secret Santa exchange so if you're interested in that DM me asap! (The deadline was the 6th, but just message me today or so and it should be okay)

Anyway, on with the stuff you actually care about!

As usual, I've replied to reviews in DMs. You guys are seriously too sweet!

To KatieGunderson, since I can't DM you, I'm gonna reply here:  
Thank you for the cookies! And sorry for the long wait. Hopefully this chapter will be able to bring you back to life. (;

To the Guest:  
Thank you so much! I hope it continues to. (:

Warnings:  
Bandages  
Paralysis  
Muscle Spasms  
Suffocation  
Needles  
Angst  
...Blood? Maybe? It'd just barely be mentioned though.

Man that list just keeps getting longer and longer... I really should stop hurting my poor children...

Psh! Like that would happen.

On with the story!

* * *

The first thing Pidge noticed when she woke up was the bandages wrapped tightly around her ankle and head.

The next thing she noticed was that she couldn't move anything below her neck.

A rush of panic swarmed through her and she suddenly felt as though she was suffocating, unable to even pull at the hem of her shirt - something she instinctively did when she found herself struggling to breath. And she had had far too much experience with that.

Tilting her head back against the wall, she reminded herself that freaking out wouldn't help. She _wasn't_ suffocating and she needed to get it together. She had to be ready.

But... ready for what? A rescue? Who knew if Allura and Coran even knew what galaxy they were in. And they themselves clearly weren't in a place to be able to escape. Besides, the others probably didn't even know where she was.

Things really weren't looking good.

Speaking of which, Pidge angled her head to watch the paladins in the other room. She was relieved to see the helmet was gone and Keith seemed to be moving normally, perhaps a bit more stiffly, but Lance still seemed pretty out of it. At least he was conscious and sitting up though. It was more than he had been doing yesterday.

Or an hour ago. Or a week ago.

Pidge really hated being trapped like this. And she had just been getting into a better sleep schedule.

She tried to snort at that thought, but it felt awkward without having control over her diaphragm. The reminder caused her heart to quicken a bit more, but she quickly shut down the thoughts. She couldn't deal with that right now.

Apparently, the world agreed with her because at that moment one guard walked in, food and water in his hands. Pidge wondered if she should be offended that he didn't think he needed back up, but Pidge didn't see anything that would prove him wrong so she just settled with glaring at him. She wanted to struggle against her bonds but quickly remembered that the thing keeping her trapped wasn't physical and that she couldn't struggle anyway. "What did you guys do to me?" She demanded, hoping it came out as angry rather than scared.

The Galra didn't seem too interested, giving a small shrug. "Probably something in your last dose." His words were casual and he came over to sit next to her as if they were friends at school. Pidge wanted to scoot away, _extremely_ uncomfortable with his closeness but was frustratingly reminded that her body wasn't responding right now.

The guard set the food and water next to him, pulling out a sandwich of his own. Regardless of her previous convictions, her stomach let out a loud growl. Pidge ignored it, hoping it wasn't as obvious as it felt. But based of the Galra's raised eyebrow, it definitely was.

He didn't comment though. Just took another bite, taking the time to savor the taste. A few moments passed, silent except for the sounds of him quietly chewing. Regardless of the uneasiness of the situation, Pidge soon found herself zoning out until the guard's voice startled her back to attention. "I heard you were refusing to eat." He said calmly, his tone disturbingly casual.

Pidge didn't look at him, hoping the lack of food in her sight may help ease the hunger in her stomach. "And I'm not going to until the others get better rations." She tried to copy the plainness in his voice, but her distrust clearly shined through.

The guard took another bite, chewing thoughtfully as if actually considering her words. He swallowed and turned to her for the first time since he sat down. "The thing is, you're not the one in control here.

If she was able to, Pidge would have shuddered at the threat in his friendly voice. She would have prefered the taunting guards from earlier to this. She forced herself to ignore him though.

"But I enjoy watching you think you are."

Pidge whipped her head over at that, her danger bells going off too loudly to allow herself to keep looking away. But the guard hadn't changed his posture at all.

He finished off his sandwich, brushing crumbs off his uniform before continuing. "But I enjoy watching you think you are."

Okay, Pidge was beyond the point of creeped out here. She wanted to be nowhere near this guy but even as he pulled out another needle, she couldn't even lean away. Noticing that the colour was different than the others, her stomach started protesting for an entirely new reason.

The guard still didn't react though. He just sat there, looking at the syringe like it was an interesting puzzle her was solving. "So, I'm going to let you pick. Are you going to let us feed you? Or do we need to add some more injections to your prescription?"

Pidge stared at him, his face only a foot or so away from hers. His expression didn't bare any malice that she could find, but his words definitely did. The thought of this guard _spoon_ - _feeding_ her sent an involuntary shiver up her spine. There was no way Pidge was gonna let that happened. Determined to stick to her decision, she set her jaw and glared into his eyes. "Not until the others get larger rations."

The guard stared back, a playful loftiness in his gaze. They stayed like that for a moment, neither speaking nor blinking before the guard finally sighed. His expression turned to a smug smile, mixed with a touch of pity, and he started going through his supplies again. "Alright then."

But it wasn't the needle that he pulled out. No, it was a remote. Pidge's eyes widened in horror as she quickly whipped her head around toward the others. To her massive relief, there were no guards or helmets in sight.

Letting out the breath she had been holding, she faced back towards the guard, who had gathered everything together and was now standing in front of her. "What is that?" She demanded, feeling much more confident now that she knew her friends weren't going to be shocked. That being said, she still wasn't eager to know the answer.

The Galra's voice was back with it's casual tone, but the words made Pidge's heart flutter. "Incentive." He said simply, pushing the button.

Pidge tried to curl up, block her head, do anything to protect herself from the attack she knew was coming, but of course, her body wouldn't obey. _Couldn't_ obey.

But nothing happened.

Pidge glanced up, ready to brag that their tech was broken, but the guard didn't seem disturbed. There was no confusion, no frustration, just pitying smugness as he gazed off to her right.

Wait.

For the second time, Pidge jerked her head in the direction of her friends. The sudden motion made her dizzy and she wondered briefly if her head injury was worse than she'd thought.

But then her focus cleared and she could see the growing panic on the paladins' faces as they looked up to the vent that had been opened.

"No..." Pidge said, certain that a poison would be released at any second and she would be forced to watch as her friends died slowly. Perhaps while growing boils or their skin turning green.

But nothing seemed to come out of the vent. Instead, it almost seemed to be sucking _in._

"What are you doing?" Pidge demanded, tearing her eyes away only for a second before turning back. But the answer became obvious as she watched the paladins' hands go to there throat, trying to get air in their lungs.

They were suffocating.

"No!" Pidge said again, this time more desperate. "No, please! You're going to kill him."

The guard just gave her a sad smile, nodding as he watched the other room.

Pidge tried to move, tried to fight. She wanted to strangle him, but her body wouldn't cooperate. She could even pull herself closer to the wall dividing her from the others. All she could do was stare in horror, screaming as Lance slid down the wall, having lost all strength to prop himself up. Pidge's screams quickly turned sobs as she saw Keith's muscles start spasming as he, too, fell to the ground, his eyes squeezed tight at the pain. Shiro was the next to go, his arm stretched out to Keith as consciousness left him. Propped up on one arm, Hunk had tears streaming down his face as he watched his friends. Pidge could see the exact moment where he gave up, quickly succumbing as well.

Pidge couldn't even tell what she was screaming at this point. The hand on her shoulder was the only thing keeping her from face planting. Distantly, she could feel a needle picking her arm, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she watched her friend's final moments. There was nothing she could do.

Unless.

The foggy memory of green came to her mind.

Yesterday, when Keith was being electrocuted and Pidge had injured herself, the moment before she had slipped unconscious there had been a flash of green. A flash of _Green._

Pidge tried to focus, knowing this was her last chance. ' _Green?"_ She thought cautiously. There was no response. ' _C'mon girl. We need your help!'_ Again, there was nothing. Where she normally could feel her connection with Green was just a black void. Taking a heaving breath, one she was painfully aware her friends weren't taking right now, she opened her eyes to steady herself. Horrified, she saw that Keith's body had stopped shaking. She could already be too late. "Please!" Pidge screamed, whether to the guard or to Green, she didn't care. Just somebody - anybody. "You have to save them!" She sobbed. She knew that there was no use, but there was nothing else she could do. She was useless.

Suddenly, a roar filled her head and a glimmer or green passed over her vision. There was still something blocking the connection, but it was getting stronger. She could hear the guard gasp beside her, his fingers releasing the button and dropping the remote. All calm confidence was gone as the room's lights began to change shades around her.

Pidge let out a wet laugh of relief as she realised what this meant. She could feel Green. Her friends could breathe again. As soon as her connection broke through whatever this barrier was, they would be saved.

But then something was jabbed into her arm.

Pidge turned to see the Galra pushing a dark liquid into her eyes with a crazed smile on his face. "Not quite!" He shouted, voice wobbling and hands shaking. As soon as the injection was in her bloodstream, Pidge could feel her grip on Green slipping. No! She had to hold on. She had to stay...

The guard ripped the needle from her arm and let her limp body fall to the ground.

* * *

I know! I know! That's a really rude cliffhanger and this is, what, the fifth time Pidge has gone unconcious? Anyway, I hope it kept your guys' attention and that you enjoyed it! We're starting to really get into stuff now.

While I'm not positive chapters with split up exactly, there will probably be around two chapters and an epilogue left. We're approaching the endgame guys!

That being said, I think I may end up writing a few scenes and/or chapters from the other paladins perspectives. Give you Keith- and Lance-lovers a bit more comfort with the hurt! There may also be a side story that has a connection with this one but really would just be an outsider POV of some of Sam's days sciencing for the Galra.

Oh! Also! Super random, but I'm sorry about the chapter number's being off. When I tried to delete the teaser chapter it caused issues with the notification emails, so I think I'm gonna just leave it like that (sorry!) until all of it is posted.

Okie so I think that's all for this one! I love to read reviews and generally see that people are enjoying my stories, but so does everyone, so no pressure!

Remember, you guys are fantastic! Have a great holiday season and help others to do the same!

-Sakarrie (:


	7. Chapter 6

Hey everyone!

Alright, so I bet many of you have completely given up on this, but I wasn't joking when I said I would never discontinue a story!

There's lots of reasons for the long wait (mental health, college starting, needing a break from the toxic response of the fandom to season 8, etc), but the gist is that I'm back and, while I likely won't be able to write constantly, I should be finishing up this story relatively soon. I'm really sorry for making y'all wait so long and for any of you who stressed that I'd abandoned this fic. Remember, I will never discontinue a story I post. There may be unreasonably long waits on occasion, but never abandonment. I promise.

That all aside, I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who has continued to check, fave, and follow this fic. I've been thinking about this story a lot during the past year, usually with frustration that I couldn't get myself to write for it, but every so often I would get a notification saying someone saved this story to their alerts. Just that small sign that you guys hadn't given up on me meant a lot and I'm so grateful to all of you wonderful people for still caring. I actually just got my 100th alert, so I figured now that things were settling down a bit, I could finally pour myself back into this and give you a small Christmas/thank you gift. (:

Anyway, rambling aside, let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron.

WARNINGS:  
Paralysis  
Needles/Forced Injection  
Burns

On with the story!

* * *

Pidge awakened to a dull pain in her head. She tried to scrunch up her face in discomfort, but her muscles seemed to be ignoring her. In fact, it seemed that all of her muscles were ignoring her. She tried to squirm, but her body laid heavy on the cool metal.

Cool metal, not a soft bed.

Where was she?

Pidge tried to open her eyes, but the pain in her head tripled at the bits of light flooding in. What was wrong with her? Taking a deep breath, she forced her eyes open and blinked frantically.

When her eyes adjusted, she found a tan-looking face a few inches away, staring at her with big eyes.

Pidge let out a quick yelp and tried to lean away from the man, but her body refused to listen. Her eyes quickly focused as her mind fought through the remaining fog. Who was this guy?

She studied his face, wondering if maybe she knew him from somewhere. He looked almost humanoid, but had deep purple streaks on his cheeks and short horns protruding from his forehead. He sat back a bit and Pidge could see he had strange cones for ears. Definitely not human, but not Galran either. Strange, Pidge had never seen other non-prisoner species on Galran ships before.

And then it all flooded back to her. The cell. The injections. Lance. Keith. Everyone's air being sucked out. Everyone's but hers...

Pidge's breathing sped up, but her chest didn't seem to be able to expand to get enough air. She must have still been paralyzed. Forcing herself to calm down, she squeezed her eyes shut and counted to three. She had been able to breathe before, she could still now. She just needed to calm down.

Her breathing eventually slowed and her chest didn't limit her as long as she kept her breaths relaxed and not too deep. Finally feeling calm enough to assess the situation, she opened her eyes again.

To see the man grinning back at her.

"Very good!" He called, eyes huge with excitement. "The ri-s9 serum can have some alarming side effects, but you seem to be handling them very well. Don't worry. The serum is crucial to have a comprehensive study, but it usually wears off with very few side-effects. Though it will be fascinating to see how it impacts one of your species, especially one so small!"

Pidge wanted to struggle - she wasn't even strapped to the table! - but she seemed to only have control over her face. Still, she wasn't useless and she intended on letting this guy know that.

Sending her worst glare, she spat out "Not too small to strangle you once my hands are free."

The man, scientist, she guessed from the lab coat, didn't seem phased by her comment, though. Instead, he started examining her hands as if assessing their aptitude in strangulation. After a moment, he nodded his head. "It does seem that you would be capable of such a thing, though it'd be difficult to get a strong enough grip if I were to struggle, which I likely would."

Pidge blinked. There was no threat or trepidation in that comment, just stating fact, and Pidge didn't know how to respond. It caught her by surprise and no witty quip came to mind.

The scientist stared at her hands for a second longer. "You remind me of another scientist I've worked with. He had the same hands, though they weren't quite so small."

Before Pidge could process what that may imply, though, the scientist grabbed a piece of metal and turned around. He continued talking as he went, the tone of his voice matching a giddy child on their way to a carnival. "Well, now that you seem coherent enough, it's time for the final testing of my ps-i7 serum! This may be my greatest invention since the mind-meld experiment. They can't overlook a success as this!" He let out a spastic laugh and Pidge saw the first sign of something akin to fear in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it was there. "Now, we'll just have to decide on a spot or two, and we'll have our results."

Pidge finally found her voice and asked "What are you doing to me?" The words came out hoarse, like they're the first she's said in years, but she couldn't get her throat to clear no matter how hard she tried.

The scientist turned around and grinned at her. And what he held in his hand made Pidge's stomach twist.

The piece of metal he had grabbed was now held carefully between long tongs and the metal tip was glowing a fiery red.

Pidge's breathing started to speed up again, somehow trying to make up for the fact that she couldn't struggle to get away from the burning metal, but she forced herself to calm down again. She'd be fine. She just had to stay calm.

The scientist approached her, noting the obvious distress. "Now, I know your species is especially sensitive to high temperatures, so I'm going to be careful where I stick this. Don't worry, I won't hold it there too long and if it hurts too much, I'll stop. Obviously, pain is a necessary element of the experiment, but your death would make the results unreliable."

Pidge held her breath as he moved the metal to hover over her arm. She could feel the heat radiating off it, her skin already reddening. The image made her head spin with nausea. She needed to stop thinking about this or she'd pass out.

"What-" Her throat caught as he moved the metal above her stomach, but she forced herself through. "What is your serum doing to me?"

The question lit up a spark in the scientist's eyes, but didn't deter his focus on the metal in his hand. "Ah, yes! Ps-i7 was a great scientific leap, even for me, but I was up for the challenge! It really was quite the puzzle, though: trying to find a way to change your genetic make-up without harming your ability to function. But then I realized I was looking at it the wrong way! After all, bonds aren't genetic, not really. Even when you're naturally drawn to someone, it's about neural connections and brain plasticity! On that, it's fair to assume that if those connections are loosened, the relationships tied with them become weaker and thus unable to respond to each other in the same way they used to."

Pidge stared at the scientist in horror. "You're breaking apart my brain chemistry?!"

The scientist gave a slight scolding look at being interrupted. "Not breaking. Unraveling. If we 'broke' your brain, the cycle may deem you too defective and choose a new champion, which would countermand almost the entirety of my research."

He moved the metal away from Pidge's stomach with a slight frown before moving to her thigh. Pidge pursed her lips in anticipation of pain, but he didn't press it down. Instead, he tapped lightly on her skin with his gloved hand and adjusted the angle of the metal. He did this several times as he continued talking. "And of course, the brain connections weren't the only factor in this situation. From the limited information I have, it's clear these relationships are far more than basic creature-to-creature. It's as if it's a connection of soul."

Pidge's head was spinning from pain and the struggle to keep her breathing steady, but she fought to stay aware. Between the brain fog and her split attention between him and the metal, she wasn't entirely understanding everything the man was saying to her, but she got enough to know she didn't like where this was going.

The scientist brought the metal away from Pidge's body for a moment, but before Pidge could even breathe a sigh of relief, he brought it up to her face. Her heart faltered as he bent in close with a deranged smile on his face. "And that's when I started playing with quintessence."

Pidge's eyes widened in distress, something she immediately regretted as he moved the metal over her right eye, studying it carefully. A small whimper crossed her lips as she held back the pleas. It took all her will to not close her eyes against the heat and fear as he continued on. "After all, these bonds seem to transcend space and time. There's very few things that can do that, so the solution had to be sourced from quintessence."

He moved the metal away for a moment, taking Pidge's head and gently pushing it to one side. Pidge allowed herself to squeeze her eyes closed this time as she felt the skin of her ear redden.

"And that was the last clue I needed! If I could unravel your neural connections regarding how to reach your lion, then all I had to do was use some quintessence to form new connections that blocked you from recreating that bond. All that was left was to create the serum and my hypothesis was ready to be tested!"

Pidge felt as he pulled the heat away from her ear and rolled her head back into its original position. He bent into her personal space and gave a conspiratorial smile. "And so far, it seems to be doing great. A few hiccups, but the last dose should have fixed that. Now, it's time to do a final evaluation before declaring my experiment a success!"

He stood up and moved back to the corner and this time Pidge could tell he was warming up the metal piece again. "Now, I'm afraid this step will be rather unpleasant for you, but don't worry. I've chosen a spot that, with time, should be able to heal without extreme permanent damage."

The scientist turned back towards her and Pidge could see the focus in his eyes. There would be no careful calculation anymore, no hesitation this time. "No." Pidge said, her voice thick with fear as he approached, the metal gleaming brightly again. "Please. Please, no."

But the scientist seemed to be done with the talking, completely ignoring her pleas as he moved the metal over her chest and into position.

Pidge was frantic this time. She desperately called out to Green in her mind, but just felt the familiar blackness in the area where her bond should be. Just like he had said, it had been blocked off. All pride gone in the terror of the pain to come, Pidge's broke into sobs. "No! Don't! Please no-"

Her cries were cut off in a desperate scream as the hot metal pressed against her collarbone.

The metal was removed almost as soon as it touched, but the pain didn't abate in the least. Pidge was half sobbing, half heaving. The smell of burnt flesh rolled her stomach, but her body wasn't listening to her need to throw up, still trapped in paralysis. Pidge's eyes were shut tightly, but she could still feel the room spinning around her as she fought for air. After what felt like an eternity, she finally was able to catch her breath enough to realize the scientist was talking again.

"-ing great. Just keep breathing and the pain will pass soon. Don't worry, I'm sure that they'll treat it once the experiment is over. After all, it's nearly over! This step went exactly according to..."

Pidge tuned out, giving in to the despair of the moment. Her neck and chest were on fire. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought the metal was still pressed against her, eating at the skin.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden change of position that made her scream again. She opened her eyes to find Galra soldier stood in front of her while the scientist held her up and grinned in excitement. "You were an excellent study subject, young paladin. Science will be thanking you for many centuries to come."

The Galran soldier picked her up in one arm, pulling at her scalded flesh, but Pidge bit back the scream this time. No need to give them any further satisfaction.

They exited the room and started walking down the hall, Pidge's sight going in and out with the pain while the scientist chattered away amiably besides them.

"-the great tool I am! Just one final thing to test and we can administer Ps-i7 to all of them!"

* * *

Whoo! And the long wait is over! I hope the reveal/villain's rant wasn't too much. Honestly, I didn't expect the serum to become this big mystery to be revealed, so I hope it lived up to the hype. In case you couldn't understand fully from the scientist's rant, basically the serum has been undoing neural connections related to piloting Green and replacing them with connections and mental blocks to keep Pidge from being able to reach Green in the future. I did some basic research, but since the science in here is actually pretty vague, it should line up relatively well. That being said, this is fiction and I'm no neuro-psychologist. Besides, quintessence is also used to speed along the neural formations (like how it can speed healing), so any scientific discontinuities can be explained by that and the fact that Galran neuroscience and psychology are likely different than humans. Overall, hope it's believable and apologies for any blaring plot holes. Definitely point out any you notice!

Thanks everyone for reading! I'd like to say that the next chapter will come much faster, but I can't say when exactly. Honestly, your best bet will probably be to set this story on alert if you want to make sure you don't miss when I post, but no pressure. Obviously, I'd love any reviews, faves, or follows you want to give. (;

Sorry for writing style changes. It was really difficult writing this story after so long both because my old chapters lowkey suck, and this is a dialogue-heavy chapter, which I'm not very experienced with. Anyway, I'm going to go back and revamp the earlier chapters eventually, but that probably won't be until I at least finish the rest of this story. There should be around 1 chapter left and an epilogue.

By the way, I have a few other stories I've written on other sites (most supernatural fics, but I may have a Voltron fic or two) that I'll be moving here, so if you're interested in those, keep an eye out!

Remember y'all are loved and appreciated!

-Sakarrie 3


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